'When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras' - the old adage is well-known to GPs but what should you do when faced with a zebra, not a horse? Consultant cardiologist Professor Robert Tulloh and GP Dr Louise Tulloh kick off our new series with their advice on how to catch Kawasaki disease in general practice.

New research questions official warnings on HRT heart dangers

New findings on hormone replacement therapy have cast doubt on previous studies that helped prompt a Government warning about cardiovascular risk.

Researchers believe that data from two US trials more accurately reflects the population of women taking HRT than that from the Women's Health Initiative study which – taken with other findings – led to a warning from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in December.

The new data, published in a commentary in Archives of Internal Medicine this month, show that of 4,065 women taking conjugated equine oestrogen HRT, none suffered an MI and there were only seven adverse vascular events.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Rogerio Lobo, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at New York Presbytarian Hospital, said the research undertaken by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of HRT products, was more relevant than the WHI because it followed up 1.5 times as many healthy women aged 50-60.

Professor Lobo concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks from HRT in young postmenopausal and symptomatic menopausal women.

But GPs and experts are pessimistic about changing public attitudes.

Dr David Sturdee, from the Committee on Safety of Medicines HRT working group, said the findings were to be cautiously welcomed. 'It's too short a time and too small a number to draw full conclusions from – but it's reassuring'.

Dr Sturdee, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Solihull Hospital, West Midlands said: 'There is considerable evidence of benefit if started early enough, but it's difficult to judge'.

Commenting on the fact that the data was extracted from pharmaceutical company research, Dr Sturdee said: 'There's no way we can do research without the support of the pharmaceutical industry. The problem is that the WHI data was not applicable to the population in this country'.